gems, color theory, archaeology, color science

In Egyptian-Coptic, as in other languages, there are Basic Color Terms (BCTs)—general color words—as well as non-BCTs, which are used in more specific contexts. Unlike in modern languages, the number of BCTs in Egyptian-Coptic is relatively limited. Distinctions are made using terms that can be translated as ‘black’ and ‘white’, ‘red’ and ‘green’, reflecting contrasts such as dark and light, or warm-colored and cold-colored. This paper introduces the topic and then explores two key aspects: the projection of questions from various linguistic perspectives into ancient Egyptian philology, and the projection of translation equivalents from Egyptological philology into Egyptological linguistics.